Israeli Weddings

I was privileged to participate in a beautiful Israeli wedding nearly 3 weeks ago.  Israeli weddings are different than Jewish weddings in the US.  This was maybe my 5th Israeli wedding and the first that had me under the huppah.

The wedding ceremony was held outside after a 90 reception. Even after sunset it was nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity to match.  The food at the reception was excellent - if it were up to me I’d do the reception followed by the ceremony and then just do a dessert bar - I certainly didn’t need to eat a sit down meal at 10 pm, though again, the food was excellent.

Israeli DJs play their music loud.  Really loud.  Most wedding venues have to be located far from  residential neighborhoods because of the noise problem.  I wasn’t able to stay in the room where the dancing was, and I’m with people and like to talk to them so I spent most of my time outside.

I’ve been to Israeli weddings of 400 guests and no one thinks much of it.  I think anyone the family has ever known or interacted with gets invited.  This wedding was smaller, I’d say about 150 people.  It was a mix of Israelis and visitors, mizrachi and ashkenazi Jews (the Moroccans are genuine party animals and created a very festive atmosphere, but again, very loud).

For the ceremony itself, it’s quick.  No real wedding party, just the parents.  Only 12 chairs in front of the huppah, which means most people are standing, sort of like paparazzi straining for the best position to get a photo.  The officiant has to work pretty quickly, but also, a lot of the explanations that officiants give in the US, for the benefit of secular or non-Jewish guests aren’t necessary in Israel.  The speeches get saved for dinner so there is no long message to the couple under the huppah.

During a difficult time that everyone in Israel is experiencing, having the opportunity to celebrate something and feel old familiar feelings of love and connection were really important. Try the asado beef and don’t forget to tip the bartender.

We Interrupt this series - a d'var Tefilah on giving sight to the blind

 בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה" אֱלֹקינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם פּוֹקֵֽחַ עִוְרִים:

Blessed are You, Ruler of the Universe, Who gives sight to the blind.

One of my favorite lessons to teach about our liturgy is based on a true, personal story I learned from a storytelling master, Rabbi Ed Feinstein.  I’ve shared this story with dozens of teachers in training them to teach prayer with meaning.

Rabbi Feinstein tells the story of going to the radiologist for a PET Scan after completing cancer treatment, and asking the technician if he would say a prayer with the Rabbi,  Rabbi Feinstein recites:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה" אֱלֹקינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם פּוֹקֵֽחַ עִוְרִים:

Blessed are You, Ruler of the Universe, Who gives sight to the blind.

After reciting the blessing, Rabbi Feinstein goes on to explain to the technician. “You are God’s partner.  Without you, my oncologist is blind.  Thank you for your holy work, giving sight to my doctor, who would otherwise be blind, to finish treating my illness.

I’ve taught this blessing so many times in so many ways.  With Danny Siegel, working with USYers, we would frequently brainstorm ways that teens could also be “pokaiach ivrim”, giving sight to the blind.  The teens would suggest raising guide dog puppies, or being a reading buddy or making recorded books available to the vision impaired.  We would talk about the dignity of helping someone achieve independence - those were very special sessions.

If reading this far you’re worried,  don’t be.  I don’t have anything too serious, just a fairly common old man condition - my prostate is 3 to 4 times the normal size for someone my age.  I’ve had two MRIs over the last 2 years and cancer has been ruled out.  I just have a very enlarged prostate (first identified about 3 years ago by my gastroenterologist - do not skip those colonoscopies). It has gotten to the point where this condition was causing regular discomfort, affecting some lifestyle decisions and leaving me unable to have an uninterrupted night of sleep in the past two years.

After meeting with my urologist in May, he told me that if he were in my situation (I had filled out a lengthy lifestyle/symptom questionnaire) he would have Prostate Artery Embolization, a not new but recently more popular procedure.  It’s performed by a specialist that I had never heard of, that my insurance company doesn’t even list its practitioners so that they can be easily consulted, Interventional Radiologists.  I started reading articles online and looking for specialists, calling more than a half dozen medical practices to find an Interventional radiologist who 1) was in my insurance network, 2) was geographically accessible and 3) regularly practiced this procedure.

I found one.

I met the doctor, he ordered an MRI (also giving sight and insight) and we scheduled the procedure.  I had it done yesterday.  It involves some amazing science, and as far as I know, my prostate was never touched.  The doctor goes into an artery (in my case, through my left wrist) and guides a very small tube through the arterial network to the arteries supplying blood to the prostate, first one side and then the other.  Surgical beads are deposited in the arteries on either side, blocking the blood flow to the prostate, and in time, the lack of blood flow causes the prostate to shrink, hopefully resulting in an end to the symptoms I’ve been living with the last two years. Throughout the procedure the doctor is guided by the MRI and an X-Ray technician following the progress of the tube through the arteries.

So like Rabbi Feinstein, I’m grateful, and able to give thanks to the creator of all things, for the intelligence of the humans who created this equipment and this procedure, for the skill of my doctor, his radiology technician and the nurse anesthetist who kept me gloriously sedated throughout the procedure, and to the world we often take for granted because we are in fact, despite everything going on, living in remarkable times.  Neither my grandfathers nor my father could have benefited from this science - it didn’t exist yet. Sight has been given to the blind.

Belated Israel updates coming soon.  Shabbat shalom!

Negev Part 2

The adventures continue.  On Thursday morning we got an early start to the BGU Campus at Sde Boker to learn about their research in desert viticulture.  Originally, we were scheduled to meet with Dr. Aaron Fait,who’s runs a project called From the Desert to The Bottle. Aaron was ill, and my other contact in the lab was bereaved of her mother, so we met with an outstanding PhD student from Ethiopia, Kedane Reta. Kedane explained his research to us.  They are experimenting with using brackish, salty water for irrigating grapes in high temperatures, to see if there is such a thing as too much water (there is), whether introducing salt to the vines will mitigate the effect of the excess water (it is) to help improve the quality of vineyards in Ethiopia, where the vines get too much water mix of the time, and the possibility of using salty water in Israel without it hurting the quality of the grapes and the wine it makes.

We walked in the vineyards, tasted the Shiraz grapes and then tasted various wines that had been irrigated with various concentrations  of salt in the water to see which wines we preferred.  It was eye opening and I learned a lot. The research will benefit the wine industry in Kedane’s native country, because they get an excess of rain, and introducing salt will improve the quality of the grapes.  Some of Israel’s aquifers are brackish, so using that water to irrigate won’t hurt the vines, in fact it improves them. 

We then went to the Kibbutz Sde Boker visitors center to meet with Zvi Remak, the winemaker at Sde Boker.  I met with him about 7 years ago and things haven’t changed very much.  The kibbutz limits his output. I tasted a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz that was very good and a Shiraz that was very good but not the best I’ve had.  Zvi is a very friendly guy, he’s now running the whole coffee shop at the visitors center and he offers wine tastings of several Negev wines there.

We went to visit several of Yossi’s friends from his days volunteering at Sde Boker in 1980-1981 and had a nice visit meeting these people who commuted their lives, careers and sometimes families to the Negev.

Our last winery, that we missed on Tuesday, was Rota. The winemaker Erez is a nice guy but it seems he’s nearing the end of his winemaking activities.  He’s making fewer than 10,000 bottles a year, we tasted a red blend that was pleasant, a Muscat white dessert wine and a cognac/brandy he’s been aging for 7 years.  I’m not a dessert wine person; the brandy was very good, but he’s mostly making wine for a few friends and regular customers and not for the broader market or restaurants.  

We made our way back to Beer Sheva, picked up our stuff at Daniel and Gili’s, said our thank yous, filled the car with gas and returned it to budget.  One employee tried to say that the tank wasn’t full, and they wanted me to go top it off (even though the gauge registered full.  When I went to take the car back two guys said, “what are you doing, it says full?”  I made them come in with me to the desk, we were cleared to go and we were on our way to the train station back to Binyamina.

Negev Part 1

 Israel Blog 2024 -

Negev Part 1

This is a small dynamic country. Things change a lot, and very quickly.  Apparently that applies to appointments made for professional meetings with visitors from overseas.  I did my best to work with someone local to set up meetings with winemakers for me to visit in the Negev.  I worked a month in advance, explained my purpose (to help share their wines and stories with Jews in the US).  On the one hand, only one of 6 planned meetings were held at the appointed time and place in the last two days.  On the other, opportunities opened up, and we got introduced to other people, and we ended up meeting two winemakers, both making all natural wines with no additives or commercial yeasts, who each have very interesting stories.  We haven’t tasted either wine yet (we’re planning one of them for Shabbat - but I’ll go back to the details).

We got a later than planned start from Jerusalem, because Budget Rent a Car has a bad process in Israel.  I wanted to get the car early; I tried calling and they didn’t answer.  When I arrived, they said they didn’t have cars (but I suspect they did, they just aren’t very nice).  We tried Avis, Hertz and Enterprise, all within a block in Jerusalem - apparently the Army has requisitioned a lot of rental cars and there just aren't any cars available.  That led to our first appointment getting postponed two days - when we called to say we were on our way, they said they had already gone home. We called Ramat Negev - the harvest has already begun here, about a month earlier than most of the grapes in the country) and we rerouted to Kadesh Barnea on the Egyptian border.  Yogev, the current winemaker, wasn't available but his father Alon, the founder of the winery, was prepared to host us.

It was a bit of a drive, but it was my first time driving in nearly 3 weeks and I didn’t mind. Alon was a most gracious host, shared with us the story of the winery and opened bottle after bottle.  We tasted a few whites and 4 of their flagship red wines.  They make more than 350,000 bottles a year with a goal of getting to 500,000, have 22 different wines and they are one of the few Negev wineries exporting to the United States.  While Nana’s grapes are grown in the Negev, in Mitzpe Ramon,  the wine is made in the Upper Galil - I’ll let you decide if that qualifies as a Negev wine,  Yatir, in the northern Negev can claim to be either a Negev wine or a Judean Hills wine, as they’re far enough east to likely qualify for that claim.

Ramat Negev has 4 series: Kadesh Barnea (the name of their Moshav - a biblical stop on Israel’s journey from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael), Neve Midbar (mostly unoaked white wines), Ramon and Exodus,  Here’s a short video, in English, about the winery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ZqC7_cOzA

I particularly enjoyed the red, the Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. We learned about another winemaker nearby, Alon said an Anglo, I think he’s Canadian, Boaz Dreyer, about 10Km away at Moshav Be'er Milka.  We called Boaz and he was happy to meet us.  Boaz is South African, has been growing grapes and making all natural wines, no additives, to commercial years, for several years.  He didn’t have anything to taste, he’s currently building a new winery near his home (the foundation is laid and some of the walls are up) and we left with a bottle of his Shiraz that we hope to drink for Shabbat - his wine is kosher.  His story and his methods are fascinating, and I look forward to tasting his wine.

After about an hour’s drive to Beer Sheva, we landed at the home of Yossi’s son Daniel and his fiancee Gili.  They are raising an adorable puppy for the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind, Sadie, and we got settled and went to a really nice kosher Thai restaurant in the Old City of Beer Sheva. The wings were terrific, and after the wine at Ramat Negev, I passed on having a beer, though it would have paired well.

Wednesday we had the most enjoyable visit with Itzik and Shelly Wolf at the Midbar Winery in Arad.  Itzik, a former corporate CEO in his seventies, started making wine 14 years ago to pursue his passion for the Negev (though he lives a bit further north). His grapes for his signature wines are grown by Eran Raz in Mitzpe Ramon at an elevation of 800 meters (2500 ft)  in clay soil - he has a 20 year contract with the vineyard and they are managed to his specifications.  He has entry level wines that are made from other grapes further north, that are also very high quality for the price (the Midbar 22 series, and they make great everyday wines).  The signature wines are lovely, meant to be enjoyed soon after bottling and spend little or no time in oak barrels - this was a recurring theme with the Negev wineries.  Buy wine and drink it, it's not for saving.  The signature wines were flavorful and fruit forward and priced with comparable boutique wineries we’ve visited, the the 120-150 shekel range ($32-$40 range).  He has some lovely whites, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, a blend of Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Sauv Blanc and Semillon, Midbar Southern White that was very enjoyable. I particularly like his pinot noir, and one will be coming home with me, likely to be shared at Thanksgiving.

From the car in Arad we spoke with our next appointment, Tania at Pinto in Yerucham, and she was changing plans but said while we’re in Arad, there’s another winery we should contact (this is also common here - winemakers aren’t in competition with each other - they help and support each other.  After a quick cafe lunch we met Tzuf Bar Sadeh, of the Tzuf winery, about 2 minutes from Midbar.  Tzuf started showing interest in wine while working with his father Eli when he was 9 years old and has been making wine for 14 years (he’s 24 and was recently released from an elite army unit).  As of the 2022 vintage, their wine is kosher, and they’re currently making the evolutionary step from Garagiste to Boutique winery with their new place in Arad which is still being equipped. Tzuf like Boaz Dreyer, all natural, organic, no spraying, no additives.  If I can figure out how to get it in the states, both will be a great solution to the people who ask me for wine without sulfites. It was a bonus meeting Tzuf and I hope to see him again and watch his wines progress.  https://negevwine.co.il/en/vineyard/%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%91-%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%A3/

We drove to Yerucham, found the Pinto winery and Tania was not to be found; it turns out we learned two things when we called her; someone else had texted her canceling an order and she wrongly assumed it was us canceling our appointment, and second, she is related by marriage to my friend Rabbi Ravid Tilles in Boston though his wife Yaffa.  We ended up not meeting with Tania and not tasting Pinto’s wines.  Something for a future visit I suppose.

After a lot of communication gaps (mostly on my end with phone issues) we were trying to reach my friend Yitzchak (Ira) Zimmerman who made aliya from Silver Spring, MD 7.5 years ago - I didn’t have a phone number and I kept emailing without success.  I told him where we were, but without a phone number or address I said we’re at the supermarket to get snack, we’ll meet you there - as we walked out he met us on the steps of the market, and we spent an hour catching up at a nearby bakery (owned by his new landlord - it’s a small town - your barber could be your rabbi).  It was great seeing him, and remote, desert, small town life seems to agree with him.  It was back to Beer Sheva for a quiet evening.

Jerusalem

      

 

Generally, I’m very comfortable in Jerusalem.  I’ve accumulated months of time here in increments of days, weeks and occasionally months over the decades.  I mostly know my way around though buildings get knocked down or renovated, restaurants and hotels change name, stores close, favorite hang outs disappear.  It’s ancient and dynamic, so I guess one is always learning here.

I haven’t done anything touristy here (other than shop).  I’ve had some really nice meals, spend time with old and new friends, did an abbreviated wine tasting and introduced some new olim from Maryland to my winemaking personal Rashi, Avital Goldner in Katamon.

I got here Sunday just before noon and had a ridiculously dessert-for-lunch Babka French Toast at Cafe Tipsy with Arnie Draiman, a friend of over 3 decades. Then I met my friend and colleague from my teaching days at Sulam, Panina Licht and her husband Jacob and we had a brief barrel tasting with Avital (including his 7 year old brandy, which is magnificent and will be released soon) and his Chardonnay.  I saw Panina and Jacobs”s beautiful apartment in Talpiyot and walked to more long time friends, Charlie and Shaiel Yitzchak and had a wonderful dinner and a show with 5/6ths of the family.  Around 9:30 I got on a bus, depleted my Ravkav (transit card) and went back to my hotel.

Nice hotel breakfast at the Eldan including Shakshuka with eggs cooked all the way, which is how I prefer it.  It was more reminiscent of how the Italians might make it since it tasted more like a mild marinara than a spicy Moroccan dish.  There was ravioli too in a rose sauce, babka and halva and plenty of fruit.

I set out for my errands thinking it wouldn’t be too hot, but by leaving early a lot of stores, even in Machane Yehuda weren’t open.  I did what I could, walked down to Ben Yehuda visiting some favorite store keepers on the way (there are very few tourists - almost none) and stopped for my tradition of fresh carrot juice (I never seek it out in the US - odd). I took care of some calls, tried to check a few more things off my list, went in search of a gift for me of a new tallit (they’re about 2/3rds of the cost here over online offerings in the US) and I hadn’t bought a new one in about 20 years or more.  I tried to get one less likely to slide off my shoulders - the fabric is textured - we’ll see if it works.  Both my current weekday and white Tallit fall constantly while I wear them.  I bought kippot for the boys (I have plenty, some I haven’t even worn yet from my trip 2 years ago) so I decided to exercise restraint.  I shlepped back to the shuk, cheating a bit by spending 6 shekels to take the light rail two stops up the hill.  After 4 hours and over 10,000 steps by 1:30 (Apple sent an alert saying someone must have stolen my watch) I stopped at Rimon for the Business lunch - a 130 gram (4 oz.) ribeye steak with a side and a drink for 68 shekels - delicious, and then back to the hotel to cool off (it was about 90 degrees here and the sun is intense).  I tested the set up for my webinar in the States tonight, took and nap and showered again.

After a big lunch I had a light dinner at Mamilla, came back in time to meet Judy’s friend Daniella to deliver some Folk Dance Festival swag, and now I’m writing this before my late (9:15 pm here) webinar session.  Heading to the Negev with Yossi in the morning for some new wine adventures.

A brief revision of my early impressions; Israelis are living parallel lives.  There is a sadness and frustration when talking about the war and the hostages.  There are a lot of signs, posters and graffiti related to all of that.  Everywhere. Bur Israelis are shopping, sitting in cafes and restaurants, going on vacation.  The evacuations in the north and the Gaza Envelope have been extended to August 31, and as an educator, I don’t understand how anyone north or south will be able to start school on the traditional date of September 1.  How will those towns recover, between the COVID education losses and being out of their communities for what looks like a second school year. Will people move their kids back or try to stay where they’ve resettled? Will the teachers take new jobs elsewhere? Don’t trash pick up and pharmacists and medical staff, and police and teachers have to move back into their jobs for all of this to happen?  This is all uncharted territory and I’m not sure how these parts of the country willl recover, despite the amazing resilience of the Israeli people.

More in a couple of days.

Israeli Weekend (Written Sunday posted Monday)

For much of my education career I’ve worked a Sunday to Thursday work week. Even now that I’ve been consulting for 11 years, I work more Sundays than not during the school year and Fridays are usually light work days. So I’m very in sync with the Israeli weekend that also includes preparing for Shabbat. 

Friday I made my pilgrimage to Shoresh, to see my brother from a Kurdish mother, Avi Yehuda. It was a great visit;  I tasted his new blend and drank more than a glass or two of his newish Malbec which has grown and matured beautifully since I participated in the planting around 2015. A beautiful wine. But I left with a bottle of his Shiraz with which I have an even closer relationship. ​

I know from my many visits to the shul in Binyamina that it’s a place to fulfill an obligation   They don’t make it easy. There are no times posted, no web presence. No one welcomes you, you have to be an insider to get a text with the times for tefila. Not exactly the warm and welcoming kind of place most US synagogues claim to be. 

Notwithstanding, it had been a few weeks since I’d gone to shul due to DC’s heat wave in June so I went. The only thing that’s changed is that there was no one there with kids, maybe fewer than 20 people and maybe 3 or 4 people there were younger than me. It is a quick service, starting at 8:15 and finishing before 10:30. No dvar Torah, no kiddush of any kind. Not particularly inspiring. I have my mother’s yahrzeit in 2 weeks, this was my test visit for me to say Kaddish then. 

Then it was an enjoyable afternoon of hanging out, reading and resting. I packed for my trip to Jerusalem and the Negev (I’m typing this on the train to Jerusalem) and made some calls and sent some texts after Shabbat. Didn’t see the news about Trump until this morning. 

First Impressions - Blog Entry number 1 for July 2024 Israel trip

 ​

First Impressions - Blog Entry number 1 for July 2024 Israel trip

I thought I would start the blog for this trip about a few initial impressions.  I got here about 24 hours ago and I’m here on my own, not on a program, not with an agenda, not to study or tour.  I’m here to see and support friends, expand my wine contacts and knowledge, celebrate a wedding of dear friends.  So far what I’m seeing and feeling differs much from what I’ve heard and read from other post October 7 visitors from the US.

Right now, I’m on a train to Tel Aviv for dinner with my fake niece, who is here on an onward Israel internship. Other than the posters in the arrivals hallway at the airport (which nearly everyone posts a photo of - I didn’t), and some yellow ribbons on trees, I’m finding the same Israel I’ve come to know so well.  No one is being extra thoughtful or helpful (I’m not saying there isn’t great volunteering going on, just that you have to be told about it to notice it).  People are going to work, the grocery stores are crowded with people buying food for Shabbat, the trains and buses and restaurants are busy and running. You can’t tell there is a war on and the spirit of nenatzaiach beyachhad  (together we will prevail) seems to have evaporated some from what was reported in the winter and fall.

I was trying to get a SIM card (my host’s idea, I thought I could get by without one and I don’t really want to juggle two phones for 3 weeks - I gave up my Israeli cell phone during COVID) and we couldn’t get it to work and when we got back to the phone store, the clerk was neither able nor interested in helping us.  So at least that encounter supports the kind of status quo normal I’ve been feeling.

My plans to go north are on hold.  It sounds like most people without urgent business aren’t crossing the line between Tiberius and Haifa.  I’ll hope to get to the lower Galil.  I already have two appointments in the Jerusalem Hills region and 6 in the Negev.  I talked to Arie at Bat Shlomo this morning and hope to go there after my Negev excursion.

I'm planning an surprise visit to a good friend's winery tomorrow, and a visit to an in-town winery in Jerusalem of an old friend whose wines I really enjoy on Sunday - I'm planning to introduce sofer and winemaker Avital Goldner to the Licht Family, olim who came in February.  Panina was my angel when I joined the Sulam Faculty in 2021, and was very generous in showing me the ropes.  Now I hope I can expand her network in her new home in Jerusalem

I hope to have time to write again before Shabbat.  For now, l’hitra’ot

Enjoying Israeli Wine for Seders and Year round: What we’re drinking for Passover 2024

 

Enjoying Israeli Wine for Seders and Year round: What we’re drinking for Passover 2024

Steve Kerbel

I’ve lost track of how many years I’ve promoted the idea of pouring Israeli wine for your 4 Passover Seder cups and beyond, but I think my first articles on the subject appeared late in the last century.  I’ve facilitated more than two dozen Israeli wine tastings in the eleven months since last Passover, and since I noticed over Purim how many people are trying to support Israel by buying Israeli products during these trying times, I thought I would get an early start on my article this year.

Between the Shmitah (Sabbatical year) in 2022 and the shipping interruptions caused by the current situation, Israeli white wines have been in short supply.  I expect that is quickly being remedied in time for Passover and stores are in the process of being restocked.  I can tell you what we’ve been finding and what we’re planning to drink.  A few long time favorites have been hard to find, and I’m trying to learn if they’re still being made and just not making it to my preferred retailers or if winemakers have changed which wines they’re making.

While Israel makes a lot of great wines at a variety of price points, and wine prices like all other beverage prices have been increasing over the last 3 or so years, we still maintain that there are a lot of excellent wines in the range of $18-$32 (US) and all of the wines we mention below will fall in that range unless otherwise noted

Whites and Roses

A few white wines from excellent wineries have been regularly available.  We’ve been drinking the Domaine Netofa Blanc (Chenin Blanc) and the Yarden Pinot Gris (Golan Heights Winery) at several of our recent tastings.  If your tastes run a bit sweeter to semi dry wines, you might try the Emerald Rieslings from Jerusalem Vineyards Winery or Tishbi; both are easy on the budget and are regular crowd pleasers. A family favorite, the Dalton Unoaked Chardonnay is still being made but has been difficult to find, either in DC area stores or online.  The Dalton Fume Blanc is another terrific choice. The Tabor Chardonnay and the Special Reserve or Wild Fermentation Chardonnays from Segal are also excellent choices, particular when serving roasted poultry,

We’re longtime fans of the Galil Mountain Rose, usually made wholly or from a large percentage of Sangiovese grapes, though many Israeli wineries are producing very pleasant drinkable roses from Merlot, Grenache and other red wine grapes.  We’ve recently tasted Roses from Tabor, Dalton, Netofa, to name a few. A recent entry from the outstanding Yatir winery in the northern Negev, Darom Rose by Yatir is another excellent choice at the higher end of our price range.

Red Wines

There are a lot of great red wines being produced in Israel.  We stand by a lot of our long time favorites: the blends from Galil Mountain, particularly the Ela and Alon, the Dalton Estate Grenache and Shiraz, the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Syrah (a splurge purchase for sure) from Tulip. The Gilgal Cab-Merlot and Pinot Noir have been very available and can usually be found for less than $25 (often online for less than $20). There are no bad choices among these wines.  

Here are a few lesser known wines from smaller wineries that we’ve been tasting and plan to have on our table this year.

Mt. Odem, Odem Forest Red - from the northernmost Moshav Odem in the Golan Heights comes this delightful blend of Cabernet, Nebbiolo and Syrah, this deep red wine is terrific with roasts and braised beef.  We’ve inexplicably found this wine on sale at about half its $30 list price.

Jezreel Valley - I can’t imagine you would be disappointed by any wines in the Jezreel Valley catalog.  Their Alfa, Adumin and Nahalal blends are all delicious and are composed of less well known grape varieties: Carignan, Syrah, Argaman.  The Alfa (sometimes with some Cabernet Sauvignon included) is the most budget friendly of this trio, but the Adumim and Nahalal can be found on sale for around $32.

Vitkin  - The Vitkin Israeli Journey Red (2021), a robust blend of Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, is also drinking well and will cellar well into the end of the decade.  The blend changes from vintage to vintage, but I’ve found this to be of consistent quality.  Winemaker Asaf Paz is creative and attentive to these wines (while also supervising the winemaking at the much larger Binyamina Winery). We also recommend the slightly more expensive (closer to $36) Vitkin Pinot Noir, a beautiful, lighter red that pairs well with roasted poultry or beef dishes.

If you should want to order online from Kosherwine.com, you can use our coupon code

KITSTEVE at check out to save 5%

Whatever you're drinking, we’re hoping for our captives to be home to celebrate freedom with their families, for you and those you love to have a meaningful and enjoyable Passover, and hope that our focus on Israeli wines will help Israel’s stressed economy recover to its full strength.